The Arms of The Ocean
by MissAnissa
Summary: When Cal's cousin, Claire, joins them aboard the Titanic, she knows it'll be an enjoyable journey home. But when Claire meets an unhappily married man on board, she can't help but be attracted to him, despite the circumstances. A brief flirtation becomes an affair on the Atlantic. Secrets must be kept and promises must be broken or all will end in disaster on the Titanic.


**_Hello! I decided to write this story because the Titanic has really been an interest of mine for a while and I've been wanting to write a story about it. Only a few words of dialogue are taken directly from the movie. This is the first historical type of story that I write so I do hope you enjoy it! Reviews are much appreciated. Thank you!_ ~ MissAnissa**

* * *

"_My sweet daughter,_

_I am very much relieved to know that you enjoyed you stay in London with your cousin, Caledon. I received news that his new fiancée __and her mother were traveling home with you and your cousin aboard the Titanic. I simply cannot wait to meet them. I miss you terribly and I worry for you every day. I am sure you are being well taken care of, though. If this letter reaches you on time, then you are most likely leaving South Hampton very soon. I pray that you have a safe journey home and please, do be careful._

_- Mother"_

I sighed out loud as I read my mother's letter a third time over and then carefully placed it in my small suitcase on the floor of the car. I missed my mother terribly and I longed to be back in America. I would greatly miss London, though. I had traveled from America, with my cousin Caledon Hockley, to England four months ago. Mother insisted that I travel while I was young, so Cal offered me the opportunity when he decided to leave for Europe.

It was there, in London, that my cousin met his fiancée, Rose DeWitt-Bukater. The young woman and I were the same age and had met during a dinner party, which Cal and I were invited to. When Cal saw me conversing with the young woman, he immediately introduced himself and I was excluded from their company while he was present. He had thought her beautiful and he confessed to me that he was in love with her. When Rose's mother, Ruth, was introduced, she immediately took a liking to Cal and began arranging a marriage between my cousin and Rose. Soon, the two were engaged. Apparently, I was the only person who can see the lack of affection emanating from Rose. Even within the seat of the car, I could see how stiff and unhappy she was while Cal and Mrs. DeWitt Bukater remained oblivious to the fact.

"There it is!" Cal announced as the car came to an abrupt stop. I quickly turned to my window but my view of the ship was blocked by a car that had parked besides ours. I frowned and glanced back at Cal, who seemed just as excited. "You'll be able to get a view of the ship once you are out of the vehicle," he said with a boyish smile.

"Wonderful," I said as I watched Rose delicately step out of the car with Cal following eagerly. Once Mrs. DeWitt Bukater began to carefully get out from her seat, I bent over and picked up my suitcase that was set next to my feet.

"Don't forget anything, Claire," she said before she stepped out of the car.

"I won't," I answered as I slid over, hugging my suitcase to my chest. I held onto my cousin's hand as I emerged into the bright morning light. I took a few steps ahead and gazed in awe at the sight. Before me was the grand ocean liner: the _Titanic. _It was the largest ship I had ever laid eyes on, and to me, it was beautiful. My heart began to beat excitedly as I told myself that I would be on that ship within a few moments. All around me, people were bustling about and the sounds of cars honking and carts wobbling filled the air. Family and friends were waving to the on boarding passengers, of whom I was eager to join. Workers from the ship were pushing carts of baggage past and fathers carried their children in their arms or on their shoulders while women were waving goodbye. There were people who were obviously very wealthy and then there were others who were dressed in clothing tailored for the poor. I not only heard English being spoken, but I heard French, Italian, German and other languages that I could not recognize. It was as if all nations were coming together to board this ship to America. For some, it was home. For others, it was the land of hope and the promise of a better life.

"So, this is the ship they say is unsinkable?" I heard Mrs. DeWitt Bukater asked behind me.

"It is unsinkable!" Cal answered. "God, Himself, could not sink this ship!"

I chuckled a bit at my cousin's remark and stepped slightly to the side as Rose and her mother passed by me. "Come along, Claire," Rose said as she walked ahead. Before I could begin to follow, someone began to pass me by. I assumed it was my cousin, so I placed my small suitcase on the cart with our baggage and I quickly joined his side and placed my arm in his. "Oh, Cal, isn't it such a grand ship?" I asked and looked up at the tall figure, who, to my surprise, was not my cousin. The light eyes of the man met my eyes and I stopped walking, as did he.

"I-I'm so sorry," I said as I quickly slid my arm out from his arm. "Forgive me, sir. I thought you were someone else."

The young man kept his gaze upon me and seemed to be pondering on how to respond to my stupidity. His expression did not show that he was upset or bothered, though. I stared back at him and saw that he was finely dressed, so I assumed that he was in first class. He was tall, as Cal was, and looked around the same age as him. His hair was dark, from what I could see underneath his hat, and his eyes were a light hazel. Once he and I both seemed to realize that we had held our gazes for quite sometime, he quickly lowered his eyes to the ground and then back to my face. "It's alright," he simply said.

"Sir, are these all of the trunks for baggage?"

The man turned away from me to answer the question asked. I remained where I stood so that I can ask the man what his name was, but I heard Cal calling for me. Cal, Rose and her mother were about to board the boat and had stepped aside to wait for me. Once I joined them, the four of us boarded the ship that would take us home.

When the ship left the port, we were taken to our first class suite. Our suite was one of the most beautiful rooms I had ever been in while on a ship. There was a small parlor and there were three bedrooms that joined each other. The larger bedroom was to be for Cal, the second bedroom for Rose, her mother and I, and the third smallest bedroom was for Cal's assistant, Spicer Lovejoy. All of our baggage was placed into the suite and I took the ones that belonged to me and left to my temporary bedroom. There was a single bed for me in the corner of the room, since Rose and her mother would have the bigger bed. I went over and I sat down and began imagining what adventures one could have aboard this beautiful ship. Would I get lost? Possibly. Would I socialize with the wealthiest people in the world? Most likely. Would I meet someone wonderful? Who knows? I sighed and fell back onto the bed with my eyes closed. I reopened my eyes when I heard footsteps walking in. Rose had walked in and was carrying a large canvas, followed by her maid.

"What's is that, Rose?" I asked, sitting up from my bed. "I wasn't aware you brought paintings with you."

"Neither was Cal," Rose replied and turned the canvas towards me. A beautifully painted ballerina was on a stage, while a mix of darker tones was the background. I hadn't seen a painting painted in that style it before.

"Do you like it?" Rose asked as I examined the art.

"Yes, I do. Who is the artist?"

"Degas, I believe," she answered and placed the painting carefully in front of the mirror of the vanity. "I think it looks fine in this place."

"I think it does," I agreed and stood from my bed. "Did Cal object to it?" I remembered that Cal had little care for artists of all sorts. When I was a little girl, and Cal was already in his early twenties, he would take me out to the city. There was a small art studio we would always pass by and once, I begged him to allow me to purchase some art supplies for myself. I had never painted and I wanted desperately to see what I could produce with color on a canvas. He quickly ignored my request and went on to lecture me about how dull art is and how painters can never produce something worthy of a large sum of money.

"Of course, he objected to it," Rose said with a sad smile. "Trudy, will you help me with this?" Rose turned to her maid, Trudy, who had already run up to Rose and had begun to unbutton her sleeves.

"Just think that tonight, when I crawl between the sheets, I'll be the first!" Trudy said excitedly.

Rose and I both giggled. "Oh, Trudy," she said.

"You're right, Trudy," I smiled. "It's all just for us."

"Isn't it wonderful, Miss Hockley?" Trudy turned to me with a large smile of her face.

"And tonight, when I crawl between the sheets, I'll still be the first," a new voice said.

Trudy, Rose and I froze in place and glanced towards the direction of the deep voice. Cal was standing at the doorway, drink in hand and slowly began to walk into the room. I looked at Rose, whose smile had faded, and she was now stiff. She lowered her gaze to her sleeves and made faint eye contact with me. Cal nodded his head towards to door and then looked at Trudy and I.

"Excuse me, Miss," Trudy quickly said with a small curtsy and left the room.

"Join her, Claire," Cal said to me as he approached Rose. I did not want to leave Rose alone with my cousin, but I knew Cal would scold me if I remained in my place, so I hastily walked out of the room, closing the door behind me.

When I walked back into the suite's small parlor, I was surprised to see all of the boxes were gone. Everything had been unpacked and put in it's temporary place. Everything in the room looked and smelled brand new. The wood of the walls were smooth and the furniture was polished so well, that I could see my reflection staring back at me. The wooden mantel of the fireplace was carved beautifully and delicately and I dared not touch it. A beautiful painted vase, on the mantel, held freshly picked red and white flowers. The floral pattern carpet beneath me looked soft and unadulterated from the impurity of shoes and champagne glass spills. The many lamps on the walls caused the room to appear as if heaven's light was illuminating it all just for us.

"Charming room, is it not, Miss Hockley?"

I turned around and saw Spicer Lovejoy stepping out of his bedroom. I gave him a faint smile and nodded. "Yes, it is."

"If Mr. Hockley enquirers as to my whereabouts, tell him that I have gone to step out on deck," he said and stepped out of the room. Spicer Lovejoy was somewhat of a stranger to me but he had been traveling with Cal and I since we left for England. I had no interest in having a conversation with the older man, for he frightened me sometimes. He carried a gun with him at all times and hadn't hesitated to make it known he carried one. None of my worries would change anything, though, because the former Pinkerton detective was hired by my uncle, Cal's father, to accompany him and protect him during his travels, due to our wealth.

Cal's father, Nathan Hockley, had acted as a second father to me after his brother and my father, Matthew Hockley, had passed away. He and my uncle were both steel tycoons and inheritors of extreme wealth from my grandfather. When father became ill and passed away, my mother and I had been left with his great wealth, but I was never satisfied; I had wanted a father. Mother was too filled with grief to even entertain the idea of remarrying another man, so I turned to my uncle. Uncle Nathan welcomed me with open arms, since he had always wanted a daughter. Cal, being more than ten years my senior, also enjoyed spending time with me. When I was younger, he spoiled me and took me on outings. As he aged, though, he began spending less and less time with me and began to focus more on his wealth and how he can obtain more of it. I didn't mind so much, since I was beginning to reach young adulthood myself. Still, to this day, his and my relationship isn't as close as it used to be, but I still loved my cousin and was thankful that he even agreed to take me along this trip with him.

"The servant's quarters are the best I have ever seen," Trudy announced as she entered the parlor. "I am sure I shall be very comfortable."

"I'm so glad, Trudy," I smiled at her. Trudy Bolt was Rose's maid and was also a friend to both of us. She knew the way Rose truly felt about the marriage to my cousin and was always there to listen.

"There's so many people on board!" Trudy began. "Did you see everyone outside before the ship left the port? I've never seen such a large crowd of people before!"

"Oh, yes, I saw them all," I answered. "And I even embarrassed myself with one of them."

Trudy gasped and leaned forward. "What did you do, Miss Claire?

"I wasn't paying attention and I assumed a man that was walking by me was Cal. So I held onto his arm and began to walk with him," I confessed sheepishly.

"And he wasn't Mr. Hockley?" Trudy laughed.

"No, he wasn't," I began to laugh along with her. "He was some other man that looked nothing like Cal. The height must have caused me to become confused."

"Oh, Miss Claire, you have got to be more careful! What if the man was married? He wife could have seen you!"

"He was alone," I smiled. "So, I have nothing to worry me. It isn't likely I shall see him again, anyway. He appeared to be in first class, but there are so many people in first class."

"The person one wants to avoid is always the person one will meet by accident," Trudy warned and then burst into laughter. "Ah, this shall be a most enjoyable trip. I think I-" "Trudy, return to your quarters, please." Mrs. DeWitt Bukater was standing in the doorway from her quick walk to meet some friends. Trudy curtsied and left the room without another word.

"We shall be dining with a few friends tonight. I want us to appear our best," Mrs. DeWitt Bukater told me.

"And until then?" I asked.

"Do as you please, Claire. Don't bring any attention to yourself, though. You are a young woman of first class and I know you are very well behaved, but the ship is very large and I don't want you to end up in places you shouldn't be."

"Oh, you don't have to worry, Mrs. DeWitt Bukater. May I bring Trudy along?"

"Do as you please, I told you. Remember, you must be back at a reasonable hour. We must look our best for dinner."

"Thank you and I shall," I smiled and made my way to the servant's quarters to fetch Trudy. Once Trudy was by my side, I began to explore this marvelous ship for the first time, not knowing what would be waiting.


End file.
